February's First Friday at The Ware Center to Feature Local Gospel Music & Art

The Ware Center in downtown Lancaster invites the community to enjoy local gospel music and art created by Millersville University's Art & Design Department on First Friday, February 5 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. The Ware Center is located at 42 N. Prince Street, Lancaster. Tickets are required for the 7:30 p.m. show "Gospel Sounds of Lancaster." There is no charge to view the art exhibit on display.

Art: MU Art & Design Dept. Faculty

Artwork by the MU Art & Design Department will be on display in the Regitz Gallery 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This exhibition showcases many forms of their recent work, including ceramics, metals and jewelry, sculpture, painting, graphic and interactive design, photography, printmaking, and drawing. Faculty from each of these areas and those that offer coursework in art education will present a wide range of media and approaches to making art. These personal investigations are a result of ongoing bodies of work that have exhibited in greater depth nationally and internationally.

"Our studio practice as artists and designers informs how we instruct as faculty," says Professor Brant Schuller. "It is this time in the studio which allows for mastery of one's craft, greater exploration of meaning, and the development of a larger appreciation for the field."

Music: Gospel Sounds of Lancaster

Local gospel choirs and dance teams will showcase Lancaster's gospel community through song and dance in Steinman Hall at 7:30 p.m. The evening will include choirs and dance teams from Bright Side Baptist Church in Lancaster, New Covenant Community Church in York, and Millersville University. Also featured will be Diane Wilson-Bedford of Bethel AME Church in Harrisburg, the 2007 winner of Pennsylvania State Senior Idol, who is considered to have a vocal range reaching Whitney Houston. This joyful event, showcasing the wonder of praise, will have audiences dancing and singing along all through the night. Tickets are $10 reserved seating and $5 for MU and Visiting Students with valid IDs at a ticket office or at the door.

Tickets can be purchased online by visiting ArtsMU.com or by calling 717-871-7600. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Ticket Office located in the Student Memorial Center on Millersville's campus, or the Ware Center, located at 42 N. Prince Street, in Lancaster. Doors open one hour before each show for ticket sales, subject to availability.

The Millersville University Visual and Performing Arts Season is made possible by support from Season Platinum Partner Rodgers & Associates and Gold Season Sponsors Aussie and the Fox and Hagelgans & Veronis, and Silver Season Sponsors Clipper Magazine, The Hotel Lancaster, 12:34 MicroTechnologies, and Weber Advertising. First Friday Music Stage is sponsored by Fine Living Lancaster. This season's Luminary Donors include Ann Barshinger, John & Susan Garofola, Mary Burton & Laurent Horne, Linda Holman Marcks, William McIlwaine, Peggy Neff, Mary Kearns & Jon Walker, and Paul & Judy Ware.